PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINUTES

COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES

SERVES: 4

D.I.Y. PAD THAI

If you ask many Australians what their favourite street food is, a lot of minds will travel to the streets of Asia. My best mate, Tim, has the following to say about his favourite street food: ‘You have a few beers, you’re at the street market and of course, you can’t go past the pad Thai vendor. The thing was, I really wanted to get in there and give it a go myself. So for a few extra baht, I was behind the world’s biggest, hottest wok and going for it. I may have gone a little heavy on the chilli though, the flight home the next day wasn’t too pleasant! Gazza didn’t like it!’

200 g (7 oz) flat rice stick noodles

100 ml (3½ fl oz) peanut oil

400 g (14 oz) chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons tamarind purée

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

90 g (3¼ oz/½ cup) finely chopped palm sugar (jaggery)

3 red Asian shallots, thinly sliced

2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons dried shrimp, soaked in warm water, drained

320 g (11¼ oz) packet hard stir-fry tofu, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) pieces

2 bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts, plus extra, to serve

2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced on the diagonal, plus extra to serve

115 g (4 oz/1 cup) bean sprouts

½ cup coriander (cilantro) leaves, plus extra to serve

lemon wedges, to serve

Soak the rice stick noodles in cold water for 5 minutes, then blanch in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until almost cooked. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a large wok over high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stir-frying for 5 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and wipe out the wok with paper towel ready to be used later.

Place the tamarind, lemon juice, fish sauce and palm sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Heat the remaining 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) oil in reserved wok over high heat. Add the shallots and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until light golden. Add the eggs and continue to cook for 1½ minutes or until the egg begins to set like an omelette. Add the drained noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until the egg has broken up. Stir in the palm sugar mixture and stir-fry for a further 3 minutes or until the mixture is syrupy and sticking to the noodles. Add the chicken with the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes or until the tofu and chicken is heated through. Pad Thai should be sweet, sour and salty.

To serve, divide among plates and scatter over the extra spring onions, coriander and peanuts and a squeeze of lemon.

NOTES

∎   If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time before you finish stir-frying until you reach your desired consistency.

∎   Substitute chicken with green king prawns (shrimp) or for vegetarian options, omit the dried shrimp, fish sauce and add some more tofu.